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Latta Anti-Terrorism Amendment Added to House Funding Bill

Washington, September 7, 2017 | Drew Griffin (202-225-6405)
An anti-terrorism amendment proposed by Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) has been added to a House appropriations bill, H.R. 3354, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, that will be voted on this week. The provision allows the Department of Homeland Security to use existing funds to partner with rental car agencies for the purpose of strengthening background checks to guard against potential terrorist attacks. In recent European terror attacks, perpetrators have rented large trucks and vans and driven them into crowded areas, killing innocent people. A number of the suspects had previous known ties to terrorism by European authorities. Countries in Europe are already implementing background checks on those renting large vehicles.
 
“We shouldn’t wait for terror groups to use their most recent modus operandi in the United States before reacting,” said Latta. “By being proactive, we can give rental agencies the tools they need to ensure that large trucks and vans don’t fall into the hands of terrorists that wish inflict harm on the American people. While we haven’t experienced a large scale vehicle attack like we’ve seen in Nice, Barcelona, or London, it’s reasonable to think that the tactics of these terror groups will be used here in the U.S. sooner rather than later.”

The amendment was approved by the House ‘En Bloc’ with several other amendments. Latta spoke in favor of the amendment on the House floor. Video is available here.

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